Transceiver for full-duplex transmission of digital signals over a common line

ABSTRACT

A transceiver inserted between a signal source and a two-wire or one-wire line, designed to transmit balanced or unbalanced digital signals to a remote station at the opposite end of the line while receiving similar signals from the latter station, comprises a first and a second amplifier with inputs connected to the line at a proximal and a distal end of a line-terminating impedance, respectively. Each amplifier has an inverting output connected to a noninverting output of the other amplifier, the two nodes formed between the interconnected outputs being connected to respective inputs of a differential third amplifier feeding a signal receiver. The gain of the first amplifier is half that of the second amplifier whereby the locally generated signals are suppressed in the output of the third amplifier. The several amplifiers are realized in integrated circuitry and may be provided with switches for selective changeover between a balanced and an unbalanced mode of operation.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Our present invention relates to a transceiver of a telecommunication system inserted between a signal source and a two-wire or one-wire line designed to carry digital signals in either direction for full-duplex transmission, the transceiver having means for isolating an incoming digital signal from an outgoing one.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An interface circuit of the full-duplex type, designed to facilitate the separation of balanced incoming and outgoing signals in such a transceiver, has been described in an article entitled "A NOVEL HIGH-SPEED INTERFACE CIRCUIT SAVING WIRING EQUIPMENT" by Wilhelm Wilhelm, Karl-Reinhard Schon and Hans Kaiser, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. SC-13, No. 3, June 1978. According to that article, signal separation is achieved with the aid of a resistor network which can be realized in integrated circuitry also incorporating a number of associated transistors. The network subtracts the locally generated outgoing signal, available at the output of a driving circuit, from a mixture of outgoing and incoming signals present at the distal end of a line-terminating impedance which matches the characteristic impedance of the line and is constituted by a pair of resistors inserted in its two conductors. The latter resistors are part of the integrated circuitry, as are a pair of load resistors through which twin final transistors of the line driver are connected to their power supply.

The known circuit arrangement has the drawback that the resistor network strongly attenuates the outgoing signal so as to require additional amplification at both ends of the line. The incorporation of the line-terminating resistors in the integrated circuitry limits its adaptability to lines of different characteristic impedances. Moreover, an attempt to use that circuitry with an unbalanced line would give rise to an unfavorable signal-to-noise ratio.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The general object of our present invention, therefore, is to provide an improved circuit arrangement for a transceiver of the above-discussed type which obviates the aforementioned drawbacks.

A more particular object is to provide means in such a circuit arrangement for selectively transmitting and receiving balanced or unbalanced signals with the same high degree of fidelity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A transceiver according to our invention, forming part of one of two stations intercommunicating via a line with at least one ungrounded conductor designed for two-way transmission of digital signals, comprises a first and a second amplifier each having an inverting and a noninverting output which are cross-connected so as to form a first junction between the inverting output of the first amplifier and the noninverting output of the second amplifier as well as a second junction between the noninverting output of the first amplifier and the inverting output of the second amplifier. The first amplifier has an input circuit connected to the line at a proximal end of its terminating impedance (as seen from the associated signal source) while the second amplifier has an input circuit connected to the line at the distal end of this impedance. The two amplifiers have a gain ratio substantially suppressing the outgoing signal at the aforementioned junctions which are further connected to respective inputs of a differential amplifier working into a signal receiver.

Pursuant to a more particular feature of our invention, the first and second amplifiers comprise respective pairs of emitter-coupled twin transistors, two of these transistors--one from each pair--having their collectors interconnected to form the first junction while the second junction is formed by interconnected collectors of the other two transistors. The input circuits of these amplifiers connect the base leads of one transistor of each pair to opposite ends of the terminating impedance inserted in an ungrounded line conductor; if the line has two such ungrounded conductors for the transmission of balanced signals, the bases of the other transistors are similarly connected to opposite ends of the terminating impedance inserted in the second conductor.

Advantageously, the latter bases are selectively disconnectable from this second conductor and connectable instead to a source of fixed biasing potential for the transmission of unbalanced signals over a line in which that second conductor is replaced by a ground connection at each station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The above and other features of our invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a basic diagram showing a transceiver according to our invention connected to a balanced two-wire line;

FIG. 2 is a more detailed circuit diagram for the transceiver of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a basic diagram similar to that of FIG. 1 but relating to a transceiver connected to an unbalanced one-wire line;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram similar to that of FIG. 2 but relating to the transceiver of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 shows a modification of the circuit diagram of FIG. 1 enabling selective switching between unbalanced and balanced signal transmission.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a transceiver according to our invention connected to a transmission line L with two ungrounded conductors 1 and 2 having respective terminating impedances Z₁ and Z₂ inserted therein. The transceiver forms part of a station duplicated at the nonillustrated remote end of the line.

A line driver LD, illustrated as a differential amplifier, has a noninverting input connected to a terminal Pi receiving an outgoing digital signal S₁ from a local generator GE; an inverting input of driver LD is tied to a source of fixing biasing potential Vbb whose magnitude is midway between the high and the low level of the binary signal S₁ appearing in amplified form at a noninverting output of the driver connected to conductor 1. An inverting output of driver LD feeds the complement S₁ of this signal to line conductor 2. An incoming binary signal S₂ and its complement S₂ are respectively transmitted by the remote station over conductors 1 and 2. With impedances Z₁ and Z₂ each equaling half the characteristic line impedance, mixed signals of magnitudes (S₁ +S₂)/2 and (S₁ +S₂)/2 are respectively present at the distal ends of impedances Z₁ and Z₂.

Two branch points P₁ and P₂ of conductors 1 and 2 at the proximal ends of impedances Z₁ and Z₂ are respectively connected to a noninverting and an inverting input of a first signal-compensating amplifier A₁ ; two other branch points P₃ and P₄ at the distal ends of these impedances are respectively connected to a noninverting input and an inverting input of a second signal-compensating amplifier A₂. An inverting output of amplifier A₁ forms a junction N₁ with a noninverting output of amplifier A₂ ; similarly, a noninverting output of amplifier A₁ forms a junction N₂ with an inverting output of amplifier A₂. The two junctions N₁ and N₂ are connected to a noninverting and an inverting input, respectively, of a differential amplifier A₃ working via a terminal Pu into a signal receiver RS.

Amplifiers LD, A₁, A₂ and A₃ are incorporated in an integrated-circuit module IN. Not included in that module are two load resistors Rp₁ and Rp₂ by which the two branch points P₁ and P₂ are connected to a nonillustrated supply terminal. Terminals Pi, Pu and branch points P₁ -P₄ may all be constituted by pins of the i-c module IN.

Amplifiers A₁ and A₂, whose input impedances are assumed to be high, have gains related to each other in a ratio 1:2 so that signal components S₁ and S₁ cancel at junctions N₁ and N₂. Thus, amplifier A₃ transmits only the incoming signal S₂ to receiver RS.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 2 for a description of structural details of the integrated circuitry included in module IN of FIG. 1. Driver LD comprises two pairs of twin NPN transistors T₁,T₂ and T₄, T₅. Transistors T₁ and T₂ have their collectors grounded through identical resistors R₁, R₂ as well as tied to the bases of transistors T₄ and T₅, respectively. The base of transistor T₁ is joined to the input terminal Pi while the base of its counterpart T₂ receives the biasing potential Vbb. The emitters of these two transistors are jointly connected to the high-voltage terminal (here negative) of the d-c power supply via a further NPN transistor T₃ having an emitter resistor R₃ ; transistor T₃, whose base receives a negative biasing potential Vr, acts together with resistor R₃ as a constant-current generator G₁. The collectors of transistors T₄ and T₅ are grounded while their emitters are connected to branch points P₁ and P₂ from which the load resistors Rp₁ and Rp₂ extend to the negative supply terminal.

Amplifier A₁ comprises another pair of twin NPN transistors T₆ and T₇ with bases respectively connected to branch points P₂ and P₁, collectors grounded through respective resistors R₄ and R₅ of identical magnitudes, and emitters connected to the negative supply terminal via a pair of identical negative-feedback resistors R₆, R₇ and a common constant-current generator G₂ similar to generator G₁. Amplifier A₂ is a virtual duplicate of amplifier A₁, its twin NPN transistors T₈ and T₉ having collectors grounded through resistors R₄ and R₅, emitters connected to negative potential via identical negative-feedback resistors R₈, R₉ and a constant-current generator G₃, and bases respectively tied to branch points P₃ and P₄. Thus, the interconnected collectors of transistors T₆ and T₈ form the junction N₂ while those of transistors T₇ and T₉ form the junction N₁. Feedback resistors R₆ -R₉ are of such magnitudes that the gain of amplifier A₁ is half that of amplifier A₂, for the reasons explained with reference to FIG. 1.

Amplifier A₃ also comprises twin NPN transistors T₁₀ and T₁₁ with collectors grounded through identical resistors R₁₀ and R₁₁, emitters connected to negative potential via a common constant-current generator G₄, and bases respectively tied to junctions N₁ and N₂. The collector of transistor T₁₁ is further tied to the base of an NPN output transistor T₁₂ with grounded collector and with its emitter tied to terminal Pu; that emitter is further connected through a load resistor Rp₃ to the negative supply terminal, the output signal being thus developed across this resistor.

The collector resistors R₄ and R₅, common to amplifiers A₁ and A₂, should be of such magnitude in relation to the currents supplied by generators G₂ and G₃ that transistors T₆ -T₉ operate with maximum switching velocity and on a linear portion of their characteristics, at least over most of the dynamic range of the outgoing signal, for faithful reproduction. The transistors of driving circuit LD and output amplifier A₃, on the other hand, may operate on nonlinear portions of their characteristics for optimum gain.

The differential mode of operation of the transistor pairs of stages LD, A₁, A₂ and A₃ effectively suppresses common-mode noise as is necessary with balanced signals. The subtraction of the locally generated outgoing signal S₁ from the composite line signal S₁ +S₂ is carried out entirely within the integrated circuitry so that impedance variations due to temperature changes and other external factors affect both signal components in essentially the same way.

FIG. 3 shows a modified transceiver connected to a line with only one live conductor 1' having a terminating impedance Z' inserted therein. The outgoing signal from terminal Pi is delivered by a driver LD' to the branch point P₁ at the proximal end of this impedance which is connected to the high-voltage supply terminal through a load resistor Rp' and is tied to the noninverting input of a first signal-compensating amplifier A₁ ' whose inverting input receives the fixed biasing potential Vbb. Similarly, branch point P₃ at the distal end of impedance Z' is tied to the noninverting input of a second signal-compensating amplifier A₂ ' whose inverting input receives the potential Vbb. The cross-connected outputs of amplifiers A₁ ' and A₂ ' form junctions N₁ and N₂ again connected to respective inputs of differential amplifier A₃.

FIG. 4 illustrates the circuitry of stages LD', A₁ ', A₂ ' and A₃, the latter being identical with that shown in FIG. 2. Driver LD' differs from driver LD by the omission of transistor T₄ ; amplifiers A₁ ' and A₂ ' are structurally identical with their counterparts A₁ and A₂ in FIG. 2, yet the bases of their transistors T₆ and T₉ are connected to fixed potential Vbb.

FIG. 4 also shows a ground connection 2' replacing the second line conductor of FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIG. 5 we have illustrated the possibility of selectively changing over between balanced and unbalanced signal transmission according to FIGS. 2 and 4, respectively. Thus, stages LD, A₁, A₂, A₃ are the same as in FIG. 2, yet a manually operable switch SW₁ has been inserted in the base lead of transistor T₆ for disconnecting same from branch point P₂ and connecting the base of that transistor instead to potential Vbb. A similar switch SW₂, which may be ganged with switch SW₁, is operable to apply the biasing potential Vbb to the base of transistor T₉ when conductor 2 is absent (in which case a nonillustrated further switch may be used to disconnect the branch point P₂ and thus the emitter of transistor T₄ from the power supply).

It will be apparent that the system could also operate with positive instead of negative supply and biasing voltages, the transistors shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 then being of the PNP type. 

We claim:
 1. A transceiver inserted between a signal source and a line with at least one ungrounded conductor designed for two-way transmission of digital signals, said conductor being provided with a terminating impedance having a proximal end and a distal end as seen from said signal source, comprising:a first pair of emitter-coupled twin transistors with respective first bases, with an inverting and a noninverting first output connected to respective first collectors thereof and with a first input circuit including a connection from one of said first bases to said conductor at said proximal end for picking up an outgoing signal originating at said signal source; a second pair of emitter-coupled twin transistors with respective second bases, with an inverting and a noninverting second output connected to respective second collectors thereof and with a second input circuit including a connection from one of said second bases to said conductor at said distal end for picking up a mixture of said outgoing signal with an incoming signal, said first inverting output being directly connected to said second noninverting output at a first junction, said first noninverting output being directly connected to said second inverting output at a second junction, said first and second pairs having a gain ratio substantially suppressing said outgoing signal at said junctions; and a differential amplifier with inputs respectively connected to said junctions and with an output connected to a signal receiver.
 2. A transceiver as defined in claim 1 wherein said line has another ungrounded conductor provided with a second terminating impedance having a proximal end and a distal end, said first input circuit further including a connection from the other of said first bases to the proximal end of said second terminating impedance, said second input circuit further including a connection from the other of said second bases to the distal end of said second terminating impedance.
 3. A transceiver as defined in claim 2, further comprising switch means for selectively connecting said other of said first and second bases to a source of fixed biasing potential upon elimination of said second conductor.
 4. A transceiver as defined in claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said differential amplifier comprises a third pair of twin transistors with bases respectively connected to said junctions.
 5. A transceiver as defined in claim 4 wherein said junctions are grounded through a pair of identical collector resistors, the transistors of said third pair having collectors grounded through another pair of identical collector resistors, the transistors of said first pair having emitters connected to a supply terminal through one pair of identical negative-feedback resistors in series with a first constant-current generator, the transistors of said second pair having emitters connected to said supply terminal through another pair of identical negative-feedback resistors in series with a second constant-current generator, the transistors of said third pair having emitters connected to said supply terminal through a third constant-current generator.
 6. A transceiver as defined in claim 5, further comprising a driving circuit inserted between the line and said signal source, said driving circuit including a fourth pair of twin transistors with collectors grounded through a further pair of identical collector resistors, emitters connected to said supply terminal through a fourth constant-current generator, and at least one base connected to said signal source.
 7. A transceiver as defined in claim 6 wherein said driving circuit, said first pair, said second pair and said differential amplifier are realized in integrated circuitry. 